Freefalling
by AvengingUnicorn
Summary: Someone is out to protect Torchwood at all costs, throwing her life on the line to save them. But she needs help of her own. Lost and alone, only Torchwood can save her.
1. Prolougue - Fallen

Prologue

Light pulled at me from every direction as darkness consumed me. Solid matter rammed into me as I fell through nothingness. Cold cracked through my very bones as fire burned all around. I fell like rocks tied to me were dragging me down, but I felt like a feather caught on a light breeze. Daylight shone through every crack in the endless oblivion.

This is what it feels like.

Freefalling.

A/N - Will be posting next update later today. Got a lot of exams at the moment. Sorry. Love you all xx


	2. Chapter 1 - Teetering

Chapter 1

The team was surrounded. Tied up and gagged, weapons out of reach.

"Only in the bloody countryside," said Owen, before he, too, was gagged.

Fear is always part of this job, but something new slithered into Gwen's mind. A new type of fear. Not the adrenaline boost that had you running faster, jumping higher, and living life fuller than ever before. This fear was cold, slimy and dark. It started in the corner of her mind and then spread, twisting and tangling in every thought, swallowing and engulfing ever other emotion until nothing else was left. Just fear.

She was going to die here.

The people that surrounded them were not in control of what they were doing; the sick grins wrenching their way across their faces was proof enough. One shoved a gun against Ianto's head enough, hard enough for his vision to swim in and out of being. Alien parasites had infected these people and killed off every part of who they were. Taking their lives would be a mercy. There was nothing even remotely human left now; no emotions, no free thought, barely enough freedom left for the brain to trigger the breathing reflex to keep the host alive.

Gwen glanced around at the people she had come to know and love. Her second family. She locked eyes with each of them individually. Tosh, the computing genius and friend who could keep any secret, and had been Gwen's rock over the past few months with Torchwood. Ianto, the team's organiser and general hander who could always tell when something was bothering her. Jack, the team captain, whose steady presence was always a comfort to them all. And finally Owen, the gifted doctor whose sarcastic comments could bring a smile to her lips, no matter how awful her day had been. The one person on Earth who always made the ground feel just a little bit unstable beneath her feet.

At least if she was going to die, she was going to go surrounded by family.

A shot rang out.

The human closest to Gwen suddenly dropped to her knees, rushing to hold her hands over the shot clean through her shoulder. Her gun lay unattended on the floor beside her. Gwen strained to reach it, every muscle and sinew in her body twisted and strained at this chance of hope. Not even close.

Several other human hosts dropped to the ground, but two remained standing.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," one of them jeered, his lip curling up into a sneer as he stood back to back with his partner, guns at the ready.

A figure draped in black slipped through the door and fired a shot at the nearer of the two guards. The shadow-like figure ducked into a dive roll before firing her next shot at the sneering one. As he rolled around on the floor, yowling in pain at the shot through the side of his stomach, the shadow ran over to the nearest Torchwood captive, who happened to be Jack.

She pulled out a knife and slashed easily through the ropes, then untied his gag. He nodded in appreciation, rolling his hands to loosen up his wrists from the tight ropes.

"Who are you," asked Jack, with his customary bluntness. "I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Harkness."

"I know," replied a female voice, as a stray strand of curly brown hair falls forward from her hood.

She gave the knife to Jack, and they set about freeing the others. Owen quickly checked that none of their injuries were life or limb-threatening, then ran over to the nearest human guard.

"Nicely done," Owen said, nodding to the shadow. "Shots to incapacitate, not to kill..."

"So we can still question them," added Jack, finishing Owen's sentence.

"Of course," she replied softly. "Never to kill." She stepped away to leave.

"But who are you?" asked Tosh, finally finding her voice.

"No one. Forget I was here," the mysterious woman replied.

She made it all the way to the door into the courtyard before a rippling light seemed to pulse off her, almost like the Northern Lights - swirls and eddies of greens and purples and blues. She screamed, collapsing to the ground, and began to claw at the air, as if she were plagued by beasts that the others could not see. Her agony and endless terror were apparent. She tore at the air, flailing and thrashing like a wildcat, as she screamed one name over and over again as if it were a plea or even a prayer. Rhydian.

-_ As__ I clawed at the air, losing my battle with the darkness, the edge loomed, getting closer and closer. I battled and battled against the pull of gravity. But I had already started _teetering_. The fall was inevitable. -_

**A/N - I'll try to update tomorrow. Love you all. Please keep the reviews coming xx**


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